Shannon M. Thomas | Mostly Genealogy

In the next few posts in this series I hope to tell the story of the Fishing Creek Confederacy and Alvah Russel Rutan. On August 28, 1861 the first arrests were made.  Roughly 100 men were gathered in a church in Benton, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.  Of the 100 gathered 45 men were arrested and marched to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in Columbia County from Benton.  The men did not resist arrest even though they were not given a reason for the arrests.  From Bloomsburg the men were taken by train to Fort Mifflin (below Philadelphia). Once they arrived there they were denied contact with counsel, friends and family.  They were not told who was accusing them or what they were being arrested for.  All of the men who were arrested were Democrats and only one of them had been drafted or were eligible for the draft. The men were honest, hard working men who believed in God and each other.  They did what they could to meet the draft quota for Columbia Count...

Anna Regine Lewis Masteller Relationship  :   My 2nd Great- Grandmother DOB  : 16 May 1869 -- Waller, Columbia county, Pennsylvania MD  : 17 Mar 1887 -- Columbia county, Pennsylvania DOD  : 21 Aug 1933 -- Berwick, Columbia county, Pennsylvania Burial  : 23 Aug 1933 -- Roselawn Ceme tery, Berwick, Columbia county, Pennsylvania Parents  : Isaac Lewis and Ellen Kohensparger Lewis Siblings  : Theodore, Andrew, Daniel, Jacob, Henry, Fernando, Mary Elizabeth and Brittain G. Husband  : Furman Curry Masteller Children  : Uknown Masteller, Ellen Erdine, William Isaac, Robert Peter, Emmons P., Hattie L. {died at 3 yrs old} , Vera Emogene, Michael Z., and Florence Low-Ella {my Great-grandmother.  Also known as Mom Hunter} ************************************************************************************ Furman Curry Masteller DOB : 5 May 1862 -- ...

Sara Sadie KRAMER IKELER Relationship  : Jason's Great- great aunt DOB  : 6 Sep 1868 -- Greenwood Township, Columbia county, Pennsylvania MD  :  2 Aug 1888 -- Fishing Creek Township, Columbia county, Pennsylvania DOD  : 10 Apr 1943 -- Benton, Columbia county, Pennsylvania Burial  :  unknown {pretty sure it will be in Benton} Parents  : William J. Kramer and Mary Susan Welsh Kramer Siblings  :  Burton L, Ella May, Myra Jane, Carrie, Anna Leah, Bruce Earl, Lelia Husband  : Channing B. Ikeler Children  : Iris and Darl

Anna Jane Hough Gensel Relationship  : 3rd Great-grandmother DOB  : 1 Feb 1879 -- Briar Creek Township, Columbia county, Pennsylvania  MD  :  15 Jul 1899 DOD  : 1 Mar 1960 Burial  :  unknown Parents  : William Hough and Mary _____ Hough Siblings  :  unknown Husband  : Walter Lynn Gensel Children  : Edna Mae, Elsie O., Sarah Alverda, Myrtle Agnes, Samuel Franklin, Isaac Daniel, Viola Emma, and Pauline Daisy

Playing catch up on the A to Z Challenge ____________________________________________________________________ Relationship  : My 5th Great-grandfather DOB  : 11 Nov 1815 -- Roaring Creek Township, Columbia county, Pennsylvania MD  : 3 Mar 1836 DOD  : 20 Oct 1894 Burial  : Wesley Chapel Cemetery, Talmar, Columbia county, Pennsylvania Parents  :  Daniel Gensel and Elizabeth _____ Gensel Siblings  : unknown Wife  : Sarah Breech Children  :  Henry J, Isaac Daniel {my 4th great-grandfather and the subject of last years letter G for the 2015 A to Z Challenge} , Alen B., Burdilla, Mary J., and Martha E.

Sarah M. L. Everitt Welsh Relationship  : Jason's 3rd Great-grandmother DOB  : 3 May 1821 -- Orange Township, Columbia county, Pennsylvania MD  : Abt. 1842 DOD  : 4 June 1893 -- Unknown Burial  :  McHenry Cemetery, Orangeville, Columbia county, Pennsylvania Parents  : James Everitt and Mary Arnold Everitt Siblings  : Martha, Mary, Elizabeth, Asa, Susan, Joseph, Moses, Archa, William, Elijah, Andrew Jackson, Enos, Enoch, Hiram and Lucy Ann Husband  : John Henry Welsh Children  :  Sarah K., Mary Susan, Elizabeth, Margaret, Alvernon, Lucy A., Lavina, Anjaline, James W., Isaac B, Francis M., Elmira, and Orville Urbanus

Emily Jackson is not related to me or my husband.  She is the mother of my husband's 3rd great great uncle's wife.   She is included in a biography from 1915 about my husband's Welsh line. The Jackson's come from a family that was very prominent in Berwick, Columbia county, Pennsylvania {where I grew up and most of my family lives.}  the Jackson Mansion has been described as Berwick’s finest gem; it is one of the most famous icons in Berwick and it is used to represent Berwick in eastern Columbia County.  I have not done much research on the family or the mansion but it has been added to my ever growing to do list.  I am looking forward to learning more about this family, and Berwick and the families that lived there so long ago. This is a picture of the Jackson Mansion that I took in December of 2013 when it was snowing and we were going to look at the Christmas lights at Christmas Boulevard(another Berwick icon.)

Elizabeth Jane Savage is my husband's 3rd great grandmother.  She was born in Columbia County, Pennsylvania on 1 May 1821 to Henry and Elizabeth (Frantz) Savage.   Elizabeth married Joseph Thomas (#2 of 52) on 19 June 1854 and they had the following children: Daniel W. Thomas John W. Thomas Joshua Eugene Thomas Parvin Oscar Thomas Ella G. Thomas William James Thomas Anna E. Thomas When Joseph was killed in April of 1865 in the Civil War Elizabeth continued to take care of their children.  She did not remarry.  She remained in Fishing Creek Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania where I found them in the 1860 Census.  From the List of Pensioners I found that in 1883 Elizabeth was getting $8.00 a month to care for her family.  Elizabeth died in April of 1890 and she is buried in Dodson Cemetery in Huntington Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania with other members of her husbands family. I don't know anyt...

I've had a really hard time deciding who to write about for this week.  I do not have a lot of information about Florence but since I wrote about her husband George Washington Hunter last week I thought why not continue the story…or lack thereof. Florence was born 5 Sep 1863 in Muhlenburg, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA to Edward C. and Ellen (Elenore) Bonham Lewis.  Florence was the oldest of three children; Boaz Lewis was born about 1870 and Clemmence Lewis was born about 1872 [I have not done any research on her siblings yet]. I have not found the family on the 1870 census yet but I am expecting to find them in Luzerne County.  In 1880 the family was living in Union Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA.  In 1883 she married her first husband, Orel Kizer Myers.  The 1900 census has them living in Hunlock Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA. They had the following children: 1.      ...

Joseph is my husband's 3rd great-grandfather.   Joseph was born in 1830 probably in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and he died 3 Apr 1865 in Hopewell, Prince George County, Virginia from wounds received during the Civil War. Joseph married Elizabeth Jane Savage (I blogged about Elizabeth's burial search before) 19 June 1854 in Fishing Creek Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania.  Joseph and Elizabeth had 7 children: Daniel W. Thomas John W. Thomas Joshua Eugene Thomas (My husband's 2nd great-grandfather) Parvin Oscar Thomas Ella G. Thomas William James Thomas Anna E. Thomas I have also been lucky enough to find Elizabeth's Widow's Pension file at Fold3; I have it on my to do list to go through it and document everything in Legacy. The following is a timeline of his time in the Civil War. Date Battle Joseph Thomas Richmond - Petersburg Campaign June 1864 - March 1865 Siege of Petersburg Sep...